Q: Pack 171 meets at Mesa Elementary School, is it only for Mesa students?
A: While the majority of our boys attend Mesa Elementary, Pack 171 is open to all 1st - 5th grade boys that wish to join. We currently have a significant number of boys that attend Community Montessori, Creekside Elementary and others whose families have moved away but still wish to stay involved with our group.

Q: I heard that Pack 171 is sponsored by St. Paul's Methodist Church, is it oriented toward that church?
A: While some of our families attend church at St. Paul's, the majority do not. Pack 171 is a wonderful combination of people from many different religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. The folks at St. Paul's graciously sponsor us as part of their community outreach efforts and they also provide us with a meeting room for den meetings. To show our gratitude, we do a community service project each fall at St. Paul's and attend one service a year on Scout Sunday in the Spring.

Q: If my son does Scouts won't he be too busy to do other activities?
A: Living in Boulder, we are very fortunate to have a fantastic range of activities available for our kids, so time is a factor.  When your son joins Pack 171 he should spend about 1 hour per week on scout-oriented meetings.  Once a month (usually on the second Tuesday @ 6:30pm) we have a 1 hour Pack meeting where all of the boys get together.  During one or two of the other weeks each month, there will be a one hour Den meeting where your son meets with the other boys in his grade-level.  During the fourth week, there is no formal scout meeting... Rather, we ask that each family spend one hour that week doing an activity or helping their son with an achievement.

Beyond that, the time commitment depends on the desires of each boy.  There will be opportunities for optional activities, probably one every month or two.  These range from 2 hour hikes to 2 day overnight campouts.  For the most part, we try to plan activities so that schedule conflicts are minimized and we try to be very flexible for those that need to arrive later, etc.

Q: Is there a lot of pressure for the boys to finish achievements?
A: Our goal in Pack 171 is for each boy to advance to the next Cub Scout rank during the course of an entire year. This is easily accomplished without any pressure. The number and type of achievements are very age-appropriate and require only a few hours of work each month. Some boys achieve their next rank after a few months and others take the full year. While there are opportunities for advanced awards (arrow points, etc.) it is up to each boy to decide how much they want to do beyond the basic advancement requirements.

Q: I heard that there is a lot of pressure for adults to be leaders.
A: If your son becomes a Cub Scout, no one is going to "bend your arm" to become a leader... However, Cub Scouting is a family-oriented activity and that has a few implications.

First, you will need to help your son with some of his achievements. These activities are very age-appropriate in nature and the Cub Scout book tells you everything that you need to know.

Second, every "big outing" (ie: Pack activity) is intended to be family centric... these are not "drop off the kids" activities. BUT, THEY ARE DESIGNED TO BE VALUABLE USES OF YOUR TIME AND A LOT OF FUN!    Pack 171 holds a monthly Pack meeting (1 hour) September through June and averages one other outing every 2 months (campouts, holiday parade, baseball game, etc)

Third, while you do not have to be a Pack or Den leader, we will ask you to do something to help out at least once a year. It takes a lot of coordinated efforts to run a quality program like ours and if everyone pitches in just a little the result is an outstanding experience for the boys.

The best advise is to DO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY!   Enjoy doing parties? Then help with Back To Scouts Night or the Blue & Gold Banquet.  Enjoy photography? Then take pictures at our meetings and activities and we'll use them in our photo gallery.   Is auto racing your thing? Then help out at the Pinewood Derby!   Love astronomy? Then bring a telescope to one of the campouts.    This is not a big deal... and you will enjoy it!

Q: I heard that the Scouts incorporate religion into their program.
A: The Cub Scout program incorporates a large, well rounded series of activities during the course of a year. One of the many, many elements is the recognition of some form of spirituality. The Scouts don't presume to specify what this means. Rather, it is up to each family to define what spirituality represents to them and their son.

Q: I have a question that you have not addressed... How do I get an answer?
A: We would be happy to answer any additional questions that you may have. Please use this link: Contact Us and we'll respond as quickly as we can.